Sing Through The Pain
by Somnum Careat
Summary: Near, a famous singer, and Mello, a rising star. If only they had stayed together... MelloxNear, LxLight. AU
1. Chapter 1

Here we go, my first multi-chaptered story! (That I've published anyway)

Disclaimer: I own nothing used in this story. Nothing. Actually, I own the lyrics to Near's song!

-------------------

"Guess where we are?" Mello's teasing voice said as he pulled the blindfold from Near's eyes. His eyes flickered over the park, taking in every detail.

"This is where Mello first asked me out."

"Yes! And I'm about to give you a whole new reason to remember it." Near's eyes widened a fraction of an inch. Mello smirked. "It's over." Near blinked, looking oh-so-slightly confused. "Why? Many reasons Near. Should I list them all?" Mello barreled on, not waiting for a response. "One, you're so freaking emotionless. I can't date some one like that. You're boring and childish. Also, guess what?! I don't need you any more. See, I was using you for a record deal. You may be a multi-platinum singer Near, but now I have my own record deal. Thanks."

Near just stood still, watching the ominous swishing of Mello's black trench coat as he walked away.

* * *

"This is Misa-Misa with Entertainment Now! Have you heard the latest about the golden couple? Well, a rep from Mello says the split was-" A manicured finger pushed the power button.

"This isn't healthy."

"I can take care of my self." Halle raised an eyebrow, looking around at the room. It looked like a toy store had exploded. Standing from her bent position, Halle placed a stack of papers on the bureau next to Near's bed.

"Those have to do with your up-coming tour. Look over them, then just return them to Rester. He's making tomato soup and cheese soufflés for dinner tonight. You will be eating with us, correct?"

Near shook his head, twisting a white curl around an equally pale finger. "I would prefer to eat in my room. I will be reading the information." Halle nodded sharply, then turned heel and left.

* * *

Mello hadn't actually done anything since the day he had broke up with Near. Well, that wasn't entirely accurate. "Matt, I'm bored. Entertain me." Matt kept playing his Playstation 3. "MATT!" Hitting the pause button, Matt pushed up his goggles.

"If you're so bored, you could start working on those songs you promised Light." Light was Mello's manager and Mello had told him he would have at least two songs for his album by Wednesday.

"I don't want to. Dammit, I finished my chocolate bar." Mello heaved himself off the brown couch and began walking to the kitchen to replenish his chocolate. Matt turned Infamous back on and began shooting away. "Hey! when did you buy a radio?"

With an exasperated sigh Matt paused his game again and joined Mello in the kitchen. "A couple days ago. I wasn't aware I needed your permission." Mello turned to glare at him. Twisting back around, Mello fiddled with a few chrome dials and managed to get it to tune on to a station blasting Hannah Montana. Quickly Matt swooped in and changed the station. It was playing a song from Near's latest album.

_"Upside down_

_I find that nothing's quite the same_

_Black and White_

_Sometimes I feel-"_

"Turn that crap off right now Matt."

* * *

L was at the grocery store when he first saw it. _"Mello and Near Split? Interview inside!" _Honestly, you couldn't blame L for not knowing. He didn't watch television except for the news. Quickly throwing the magazine down on the conveyor belt with the two cakes, one vanilla, one chocolate, the pound of green tea leaves and a tube of frosting, L anxiously got out his wallet.

Settling comfortably in his favorite sitting position, L pulled out the magazine and tube of frosting. _Interview on page six._ Uncapping the frosting L opened to page six. Skim reading it, one particular section jumped out.

_T: How do you feel about your relationship with Mello?_

_N: I think we are both very happy, and I expect us to stay together for a while._

_*Note: This interview was done one week before the split.*_

L sighed, squirting a gob of frosting into his mouth. Reaching over to the phone, he picked it up using two fingers.

* * *

Near did not particularly want to go on tour right now. But, he was not one to back out of scheduled things. So when he showed up bright and early, silent as a ghost, on the tour bus Halle was prepping, she wasn't too startled. He settled down on a window seat, arranging a blanket around his white pajama clad legs. Grasping a robot in each hand, he began to softly clash them together.

Gevanni and Rester soon filed on the bus, the latter sitting in the driver's seat, and the former unfolding a gigantic road map. "First stop, Boston."

* * *

A/N: I know it's fairly short. I just felt this was a good place to stop and also, I would love to hear what anyone thinks before getting in way deep. This idea just wouldn't leave me alone, so hear it is! Anyway, please review. Constructive criticism is appreciated, flames are not.


	2. Welcome to Boston

Well, here goes nothing! Chapter two of Sing Through The Pain, away!

Disclaimer: Yeah. Still no ownership here.

* * *

The ride to Boston was silent and painful in that special way when you know you should say something, you're just not sure _what. _This was Halle's dilemma. "So, how about them Patriots?" For her efforts, she got a blank stare from Near. Then he twisted around to stare out the window. Rester reached over and turned on the CD player.

Quiet piano music filtered through the speakers as rolling countryside passed by. Green hills covered in leafy trees loomed ahead of the tour bus. "May we stop here?" Near asked in a soft monotone. Halle nodded enthusiastically. This was good. Near was suggesting they take a break and do something fun! With a hiss of tires the bus pulled to a stop.

Near padded out first with Gevanni and Halle following. Instead of heading up towards the hills like expected, he simply walked to the small gas station. "I'll follow." Gevanni asserted. Halle nodded and looked around at the scenery. It really was gorgeous. Apple trees dotted the hills with flowering bushes growing wildly. However the view was soon ruined by Near silently gliding back into the bus.

"What's he doing out here?" Halle whispered furiously to Gevanni. He shrugged helplessly.

"He just used the bathroom." Halle frowned. Of course Near hadn't wanted to actually do something. She felt stupid for even thinking it.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mello was busy. Very much so. He had two songs due Wednesday and it was already Monday. He had exactly...zero songs done. "No longer until... no that's crap too." Mello tossed the now crumpled up ball of paper in the general direction of the trash can. It bounced of another ball and landed on the ground with about ten others. Tilting his head back on to the armrest of the couch, Mello bit angrily into his chocolate bar. Mashing it between his teeth, Mello closed his eyes in thought.

"What if I just... nah. Oh! I could ask Matt for prompts." Excited by his genius insight, Mello sat upright and pulled his futuristic cell phone out of his impossibly tight leather pants. "Matt!"

_"Nhn." _

"It's me. Give two words. Any two. The first two that pop into your head."

_"Zelda and coffee." _

"What?" Mello said disbelievingly. Why was he friends with this kid again?

_"What, you don't like those? You need something more song-writy? Okay, um, fall and win." _

Mello nodded slowly. He could work with those.

* * *

"Remember, those were Kira's Avengers! Now for the main act! Here's... Near!" A peppy announcer said. A roar of approval came from the crowd. The light's dimmed even more from their already hard to see by light. A single violin was heard playing a melancholy melody. Slowly, a bass guitar and piano joined in, interweaving beneath the haunting, soaring violin.

_"Sometimes_

_you know nothing's going to be _

_a-okay. I don't care_

_what you've heard..." _

* * *

Plane rides from Chicago to Boston were generally okay, as plane rides went. However, the red-eye flight at 1:00 AM was not. L did not particularly care for actually flying with other people, but it was much too late for him to get a private jet. Add tired businessmen, a flight attendant who just wouldn't _shut up, _and that awfully suspicious lady in seat 4A with the blood-shot eyes, and it was just as much fun as having the flu! Luckily, L had managed to get some sugar on board. A whole carry-on full of it to be exact.

Chewing a liege waffle, L pulled his legs up into his trademark position. There was bound to be a problem where he was heading. As Near's manager, it was his job to try and at least lessen the issue. _'Let's see, looking people in a closet was out-lawed after that little incident two years ago... Making Mello get in contact with Near would just cause them pain... Near definitely needs time to recover away from him, so this tour could be a blessing in disguise, Of course, I haven't seen his behavior yet so...' _L kept thinking and eating for the remainder of the flight, blocking out everyone else. Until his phone rang.

Picking it up with his index finger and thumb, L flipped it open and held it near his ear. "Hello?"

_"L, it's me, Halle." _

"Ah, how nice of you to call. No, the plane hasn't landed yet, but there is a 76% chance-"

_"I didn't call for that. Near's onstage so I thought I should just inform you of how he is." _

"Yes, that would be most excellent."

_"It's been about two weeks and he seems to be taking his favorite route. Lock in all feelings and pretend nothing happened. He's coming off-stage! Bye." _

L closed his phone with a soft click and placed it down on the tray. This was expected. There had been a 97.842% chance that Near's reaction would be that. Still, it was aggravating. He had gone to counseling for those sorts of issues. L could still remember talking to Near about it.

_"Near, if you are this emotionless, you will have many less fans because you won't be accessible. You can keep the ice-prince persona, but let it crack a little in public. Smile, laugh, you know" Near nodded and smiled. It was small, and a little bit scary, but it was an improvement. _

Ripping a chocolate croissant into small pieces, L began to arrange them into piles according to size and shape. Near had been so cold when he first met him, but he had changed with Mello. He smiled when not in the public eye, he laughed, he had even joked around with Gevanni. It was, quite simply, amazing. The amount of change Mello had caused in Near was something even the therapist hadn't accomplished. Then Mello had to go and ruin it.

* * *

Coming off the stage, Near waved a few more times then hurried into the wings. Putting on a concert always was an activity that exhausted Near. For that reason, he almost never had any after-parties or such. Just straight to the hotel to rest. Assuming this would be the case, Rester had already gathered everything Near would need. "Let's go out to eat." Well that was unexpected.

* * *

A/N: Ta-da! it's a little longer, more descriptive and hopefully better! Maybe you should review and tell me!


	3. Dinning Out

Sorry I haven't updated, but life's been crazy. Also, no one bothered to review, but I got 50 visitors! So I have no idea if anyone liked the chapters, or what they thought. Therefore, this chapter will be written how I want to write it. Anyway, sorry about that little rant, it's just frustrating, Without further ado, here is chapter three of Sing Through The Pain!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except the restaurant. I made that up. And the movie too.

* * *

_"Let's go out to eat." Well that was unexpected. _

Everyone stood still for a few seconds following Near's proposition. "Yeah, what a great idea Near!" Halle's smile was forced, and her voice was freakishly cheerful but everyone suddenly nodded exuberantly. "Where would you like to go? Rester, go put the bags on the bus." Rester and Gevanni quickly hauled the pure white suitcases away.

Near stood still, uncertainty flickering quickly across his face. "I think perhaps I would like to go to Kate's Cafe." Kate's Cafe was just a small local place L had discovered last time he was in Boston. Near seemed to enjoy going there though. Before Halle could answer, her phone vibrated.

"Sure Near, but hold on. I should get this."

_"Hello Halle. My plane has landed." _

"Great. We were planning to go to Kate's. We'll swing by the airport and pick you up."

_"Okay. See you." _

* * *

"Fucking narcissistic self-absorbed bastard!"

"Hey Mells, you do realize narcissistic and self-absorbed mean pretty much the same thing, right?"

Mello whirled around angrily. "Do not interrupt me while I am ranting Matt. He thinks he can just take my songs and throw them away?! No! I'm Mello, for god's sake. He cannot tell me what to do!" And with that final, angry shout he sat down hard on the sleek black leather couch.

Matt paused his game and pushed his goggles on to his forehead. "Y'know actually he can tell you what to do. Light's your manager. Personally, I like the guy. We got this cool new apartment and all this stuff because of him." Matt closed his eyes for a moment and pictured all the new games, a happy sigh escaping his mouth. "Oh, and those songs did suck." he muttered before quickly pulling his goggles down and un-pausing his game.

Mello's mouth hung open in shock. Gaping like a fish out of water, he stared at Matt. "Well thanks for the confidence boost asshole!' he said before dramatically stomping off to his room in a storm off black leather.

* * *

A rather pretty young women stood behind the granite countertop at the cafe. "Hi! Welcome to Kate's. What can I get you today?" she said perkily. Rester scratched the back of his head.

"You may want to write this down. Three cups of blueberry tea, two cups of coffee, one with milk, one black, one chicken salad, dressing on the side, two English muffins, both toasted, but one plain, the other with raspberry jam." Here he paused and she began to walk away. Holding up a palm, Rester continued. " One bowl of tomato soup, half a grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat, four éclairs, three black bottom coconut bars, two of the miniature cinnamon swirl cookies and one slice of strawberry cake. That will be all." The sales girl nodded her head numbly.

"That will be out as soon as possible. Your total is $82.91." Rester handed over a credit card, waited patiently and headed back to the table with three heavy trays.

* * *

Mello was most definitely not sulking. Of course not. "You done sulking yet?" Light questioned dryly.

"Hey! I am not!" Mello yelled, pulling a gun out of no-where and aiming at Light's head.

"A water gun. How threatening." A plastic yellow water gun was indeed dangling from Mello's finger's. _Matt. I'll kill him. _"Anyway Mello, you know why you're here. Because I requested you write two songs for Wednesday. That was two days ago. You brought them in and they were, well, putting it nicely, stinkers. Wouldn't sell if we paid people to buy them. What happened? You used to have this incredible energy and drive... It's practically gone now."

Mello slumped in the chair. "I don't know Light. I'm trying, okay? Give me another week." Mello stared hopefully at Light. He nodded reluctantly.

"You have exactly one week."

* * *

"So Near, how are you doing?" L asked while delicately stirring his tea.

Near seemed to withdraw into his chair, clutching his robot even closer to his chest. "Okay." Halle glared at L. Didn't he see that Near was obviously not ready to talk about it?

Quickly grasping for a new topic, Halle blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. "Um, L, didn't you mention some movie premier that the directors wanted Near to come to?" Good, that was a safe topic.

L nodded, pouring what looked to be half the sugar bowl into his tea. "Yes, thank you for reminding me. Remember how you sang those songs for the movie Self-Destruct? Well, it is finally coming out and they would like you to attend the premier. It's right here in Boston, in two days. it wouldn't affect the tour at all."

_Come on Near, _Halle silently pled. _It would be a good distraction. Great publicity too._

Near had seemed to perk up visibly with the change of topic. A small smile stole over his face. "I would love to. I had lots of fun with those songs."

* * *

"Mello! While you were out, boss-man called. There's some movie coming out called Self-Destruct or something." Mello nodded. He had seen the ads for it. It looked amazing, very technologically advanced, and sounded pretty interesting. "Anyway, the premier is soon and he wants you to go to it. Lots of stars there. Give him a call back." Grabbing the phone off the cradle, Mello headed for his room.

* * *

A/N- And the plot thickens! Okay, I have a little contest. Whoever can guess what meal belongs to which person first, I will write you a one shot. Whoever wins, I'll give more details, but you will pick the pairing and brief plot summary. And because I'm in a good mood, you only have to get most of them right. You can make three mistakes. So, please review!


	4. Red Carpet

Oh my, I was blown away with the reviews I got in just a few days! Thank you guys so much, I appreciate everyone of them. So because of that, I decided to get writing right away. Chapter four, away!

Disclaimer: Guess what? I still own nothing but Self-Destruct.

* * *

"Hello everyone, this is Misa-Misa! I'm live from the red carpet premier of the newest movie Self-Destruct. This star studded cast includes Wedy Kitseru, Linda Thompson, A Sezwec and more. They are all here tonight, along with many other contributing and non-contributing celebrities. Back to you Matsuda!"

Matsuda nodded his head cheerfully and smiled. He was sitting in a silver and white studio in an orange chair placed to the left of a huge monitor. "Thank you Misa! She will be covering more for us later, but for now I have some hot news. Rumors are swirling that both Mello and Near are in attendance tonight. Do they know this? Is it planned? Stay tuned!"

* * *

Near smiled a vague half-smile, staring beyond the flashing cameras and microphones. He pulled nervously at the sleeve of his white shirt. Instead of his usual pajamas, Halle had forced him into crisp white pants, a white button up shirt with a cream colored vest over it and a pair of off-white tennis shoes. Standing near any other star, in their flashy downs and tuxedos made him seem to fade into the background. But Near didn't mind.

Nodding his head one last time at the paparazzi, he made to head a little closer to the entrance of the grand building housing the actual movie showing. And then he caught sight of Mello. He was standing there, in his traditional black leather laughing and smiling. Near stood still, not quite fully observing what was going on. Mello was here, at the premier? At least he didn't have a date with him... Turning ever so slightly to the side, Mello unwitting revealed actually, yes he did. Near didn't know her exact name, but he remembered seeing her in a movie before. She really was quite pretty, with dark brown hair curled gently around her face and a purple and white floor length dress. Near's world started to spin. He could feel his breath come in short, shaky gasps, An ill feeling rose in his stomach and black started to creep around the edges of his vision.

* * *

Flashing smile after smile, Mello gently unwrapped his arm from Naomi's waist. Light had told him that mostly everyone brought dates to these things, so Mello had called up one of his friends from college who was now an actress. Everything just felt... off though. He had never imagined that he would be attending a red carpet event without Near. _No Mello, _he scolded himself mentally _Near is ancient history. You never liked him much any way. Just forget him._ Laughing at something Naomi had said, Mello leaned in to hear what a bubbly blonde reporter was asking him.

"Hi Mello! I'm Misa-Misa from Entertainment Tonight. Want to answer some questions?"

"Why not? There's still a while before the movie starts."

"Great. So, where you involved in this movie at all?"

"Actually no," Mello replied. "My manager, Light, suggested I come and it looked like a fascinating movie and wonderful opportunity to meet some people so I decided to."

Misa nodded excitedly. "Well, I'm glad your here! Tell me a little about your date here. Naomi right?"

Christine smiled angelically. "Yes, this is Naomi. We met in college. The movie premier was a great excuse to call her up and ask her out."

Misa squealed. "Aw, that's so cute! So, Naomi..."

"I'm going to go inside and look around okay?" Mello whispered in her ear before gracefully slipping behind her and up towards the building.

* * *

"Breaking news! Near has collapsed on the red carpet not two minutes ago, landing face down and shocking hundreds of people." L groaned softly and hit the power button. Placing his sock clad feet on the ground, he stood up from the plush velvet chair. He knew this was coming ever since Light had called him not soon after the premier had begun.

_"L?" _

_"Who else would it be? Your reasoning skills have fallen 12.86% since your last call." _

_"Well, I'm kind of in a bad mood. See, I just found out that Near happens to be attending the premier tonight." _

_"And this is bad how?" _

_"Um, you see, Mello will kind of be there too." _

_"WHAT? You couldn't have told me this in advance Light? Near is very emotionally fragile right now!" _

_"...Halle told you to say that didn't she. And besides I didn't know Near was going." Light said defensively. _

_"Yeah she did. Personally, I'm all for seeing them meet up again. I know it hasn't been that long since the break-up, but I think they should get back together." _

_"My thoughts exactly. Mello's been pathetic. I'll call you later. I just wanted to warn you of any potential trouble." And with that, Light hung up. _

He should have known Near wouldn't have been ready. Also, the small problem of Mello bringing a date. He was 62% sure Light had not been aware of this fact.

* * *

Light was proud of himself. Generally, everything went his way. When it did, he could cross it off his to-do list with a mutter of his favorite phrase, "Just as planned." Because who _doesn't_ have a favorite phrase? Anyway, life was pretty sweet for Light. He was a famous talent scout and manager known all over the world for the many stars he had brought to the top.

Then there was L. He eternal rival, although lately, it didn't feel much like that. More like a strange companionship and almost a feeling of want, but now wasn't the time to dwell on such things.

Light sighed, spinning around in his desk chair. His latest talent was Mello. Lots of fire, spunk, a good singing voice and it didn't hurt that he was cute too. Light almost couldn't believe his luck when he found out Mello was dating super famous Near. What better way to get noticed? But then, Mello had to go and screw it up.

Light grimaced, wishing Mello was right there so he could yell at him. Instead he had to settle for turning the small TV on his desk. It was one in the morning, and the movie premier had been over for some time, but many stars were just leaving the after party. Light switched the channel to the entertainment news just in time to see a clip of Mello kissing Naomi heatedly.

* * *

A/N: Don't shoot! There is a good reason for the cliff hanger, I swear. Like I really wanted to do one. So yeah. Sorry it took so long to get posted, but Fanfiction was being mean and wouldn't let me post. Review please!


	5. Story Time With Matt

Oh, I am so sorry for taking so long with this chapter! I've been really busy and have been in the midst of a personal crisis. On an unrelated note, are any of my readers vegan? I'm a long time vegetarian, and have been thinking of going vegan. If any of you are, send me your thoughts, advice, I don't know. NEWS: Chocoholic Bitch, you won my little contest! Just leave a review giving a brief plot summary and I will write you a one-shot! Or I might think of something myself. We'll see.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

The sun was shining directly in Mello's eyes. And it hurt. Throwing an arm lazily over his face, Mello rolled over in his king size bed. "...Near?" he said softly. There was another body in his bed, warm and small. Cracking one eye open, Mello looked. And screamed.

"Holy fuck, NAOMI?!!?!" Shooting into a sitting position, Mello scooted hurriedly away. However, this made him notice something else. Well, two other things. One, his head hurt like crazy. _Last time I ever drink_, he thought sourly. Two, both him and Naomi were, well, naked. _Oh shit, Oh shit, what happened last night? _

"Mello?" Naomi sleepily raised her head. "Where are my pants?"

* * *

Near was curled up in a ball on pure white sheets, practically blending in. He had been this way ever since his collapse at the movie premier. The doctor Halle called in diagnosed it as nothing but stress that had accumulated and the fact that he hadn't eaten enough. However, Halle, being as over protective as she was, had arranged for his next concert performance to be delayed by three extra days.

"How's he doing?" L poked his messy head into the stark white hotel suite that had been custom painted for Near. L's black hair was more tousled than normal and the shadows under his eyes looked more pronounced. None of the team had gotten much sleep.

Halle waved him in. "Better. He's asleep right now, but earlier he ate some soup and bread, He even played with Bumblebee a little." Nodding absent mindedly, L shuffled over to a cream armchair and settled down.

"I have some bad news." It was really L's tone that caught Halle's attention. It was so unlike him. Grim, weighted heavily with regret. "Halle, Mello... Mello, he brought someone home after the after party."

Halle gestured impatiently with her hands. "Okay, so?"

L shook his head. "I think maybe he should tell you." L muttered softly before rising out of the chair and heading towards the door. Pausing, he looked back at Halle. "Well are you coming?"

* * *

Matt stuck out like a sore thumb in the sea of white that was the open entertainment area of the suite. He had his head bent over a gold DS and was furiously tapping away.

"Barbie Mermaidia getting challenging? " L questioned plopping down next to him. Matt nodded, before punching the air.

"Yes! I own your soul Elena! Hold on, just let me save." Fiddling with a few buttons that Halle couldn't see, Matt soon closed the DS and set it down on the table. "So, L wants me to tell you about what I saw last night. You don't mind if I smoke in here, do you?"

Halle only glared and handed him a stick of mint gum she pulled from her blazer pocket. "Okay, I guess I won't. Alright, last night..."

* * *

_"Mello had left to pick up Naomi around 9:30. I didn't really care at that time because I remembered that they had gone to college together. She always seemed pretty serious with some guy named Raye or something. Oh yeah, he was taking her because Light told him everyone brings a date to this sort of thing." _

_"Anyway, I spent the whole time playing God of War 2, because you know the third one just came out and I wanted to refresh my memory of it-" _

_"MATT." _

_"Oops. Sorry about that. Mello came back around three in the morning, dragging Naomi behind him. Oh man, they stunk like alcohol. Mello was all silly and giggly and she was falling all over him, no pride at all I tell you! Then, right in front of me they started making out. Quite scaring. There were hands everywhere and Naomi was whispering things in his ear. Next thing I know, they're in Mello's room and hearing some strange noises. I think you know what kind I mean." _

* * *

Halle sat stock still, in some sort of horror induced trance. L slowly waved a hand in front of her face. She seemed to come to, shaking her head quickly. They all sat in silence, the only noise being the obnoxiously loud chewing of Matt's gum. L poked Matt in the ribs. He retaliated with an elbow to the gut.

"I'm going to get some cake. Matt thank you very much for your time. Feel free to leave when you like." L somber voice cut through the room like a dart. With his trademark crack-addicted withdrawal sufferer, he moved into the kitchen area, disappearing from sight.

Matt had just picked up his DS when Halle began to speak. With an audible sigh, he put it back down on the glass tabletop. "I just can't believe it. Mello did _that_ with someone who isn't Near. He better have not done it with Near." Her tone turned threatening, then quickly reverted back into the shell-shocked one that matched her expression. "I thought that it was a temporary split kind of thing. I wanted to help them get back together. Not anymore!"

"Halle, your overreacting." L walked slowly back in, a piece of coconut cake on a porcelain plate. "He was drunk. I'm sure he feels nothing for her. They still have a chance to get back together."

She sighed, slumping back against the couch. "But Near will be devastated when he finds out. He'll never trust Mello again."

Matt looked up from his DS. "We never said he had to find out." And Halle began to smile, ignoring that little nagging voice in her head. _This is a very, very bad idea. _

* * *

Naomi sat quietly at the glass topped table, slowly sipping a steaming cup of coffee. Mello was standing awkwardly as far away as possible while remaining in the room. "I guess we should talk." Naomi said, pushing her slightly too long bangs out of her eyes. She was wearing a T-shirt that Matt had bought a few months ago and never worn and pair of pajama pants.

She cleared her throat and nervously continued on. "I don't know what came over me last night Mello. Obviously we were both drunk, but I apologize. You're clearly still hung up on Ne-"

"No. In no way do I still have feelings for him. When we broke up, I hadn't liked him for a while. I like _you_ Naomi." _Even I'm starting to believe myself._ Mello thought sourly.

She smiled wanly. "I really like you too. Me and Raye, we hit a rough patch a little while ago, and I don't think we're going to get back together. What do you say to giving this a chance? Us, as a couple."

_Don't think Mello, just respond._ "I would love to. Are you free tomorrow night? I know this great Indian place around the corner." _Near hated going there. Too loud, too spicy._ One half of Mello's brain chimed in. _Shut up._

"That sounds wonderful. I'll come by at eight?" A nod from Mello confirmed it. He was dating someone.

* * *

Near was up and walking around. Well, to be specific he was up and sitting. He was seated on his tour bus, headed to the next stop on his tour, Vermont.

* * *

A/N: Hey, thank you all so much for waiting for this chapter. I know it took forever, and I promise the next one will be prompter! If anyone has a specific location they want Near to hit up on his tour (in any state) mention it in a review! Any reviews are appreciated!


	6. It's Like a Party!

I know you are probably sick of my apologies and wish I would just write a chapter promptly, but I am really sorry. Remember that personal crisis I mentioned last chapter? Well, it got worse and I ended up in the hospital with no internet access. Again, I apologize for the lateness of this.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

When Matt got home after his little meeting with Halle and L, he saw something peculiar. Mello wasn't eating chocolate, cursing angrily or waving a gun around crazily. In fact, he was quietly leaning against one of the obsidian kitchen counters, meditatively looking out at the cityscape view available from their window.

Carefully walking through the kitchen, Matt tried to avoid being seen. "I asked her out." Matt froze. Slowly turning around, he quickly walked in front of Mello.

"YOU WHAT?!?" Matt shouted. This ruined everything! Surely someone would find out Mello and Naomi were going on a date and then there was no way Near wouldn't find out. _Great_ Matt thought _You couldn't have done this weeks ago Mello? When I would have actually been happy that you were at least showing an interest in people again. _

Mello pushed off the counter. "I'm going on a date with Naomi today at eight." With this he walked quietly out of the kitchen leaving Matt gaping at his noticeably not leather-clad body.

* * *

"Okay Near, we only have one day in Vermont, which we will be spending prepping for the concert, performing, then packing up. Around two a.m. we are heading out for New Jersey, you can sleep on the tour bus." Halle bustled around the large bus, arranging food in pure white cabinets and clearing Gevanni's tech-junk off one of the empty beds.

Near sat watching silently, gently clashing together Optimus Prime and Bumblebee absent mindedly. "Exactly who are you getting ready for?"

Halle tossed glance at Near. "How did you know I was getting ready for someone?"

"It is really quite obvious." L said, climbing aboard the spacious tour bus. Unwrapping a strawberry lollipop, he settled on to the white chair opposite Near. "Once you know what to look for anyway. You are cleaning unnecessarily, and appear to be readying a bed for someone to stay in. As we all already have beds, the only logical conclusion is that someone new will be joining our little party. There is a 97% chance that it is someone who's opinion is at least mildly important, or else you would have not cleaned everywhere. Please leave my sweets undisturbed next time. Also, I expect a replacement roll of Smartees for the one you ate."

Halle blushed and turned her attention back to Near. "Anyway, yes Near. Matt will be joining us for a while. You remember Matt right?"

Near seemed to withdraw. "Yes, Mello's friend..." L and Halle traded looks. Would Near be okay with Matt staying? He didn't seem angry about it. _He's probably just thinking of Mello, _Halle thought _Hopefully that will stop. _

* * *

"I can't believe you are ditching me for NEAR!" Mello yelled angrily. He stood glaring at Matt from across the living room.

"I'm not ditching you for Near. L asked if I wanted to go to the New York Game Awards, I said yes, he provided me with a ride that Near happens to be using too!" _Okay so I knew that I would be with Near and that the show isn't for another month, but... _

Seeing that Mello remained angry, Matt shifted his defense. "Besides won't you be busy with Naomi," the name was said dripping with sickly sweet malice. "Apollo Justice knows I am so sick of hearing you whine about how you have a date with her tonight. Why did you even break up with Near? You're obviously still hung up on him."

Clenching his jaw, Mello began to shake. "You... You take that back, right now. RIGHT NOW."

Matt stood defiantly, hands on hips. "No." He said simply. "I'm not taking back the truth." With that, he turned and walked out of the room, likely going to try to fit the Xbox in his suitcase.

Mello slowly sank down to the shiny leather couch and dropped his head into his hands. Startled, he pulled his head back up. Mello hadn't even noticed the tears gathered in his eyes, now spilling onto his palms.

* * *

"Hi Mello." Naomi smiled charmingly. Distractedly, Mello noticed that she was way overdressed for a simple dinner and movie date. Her long black hair was swept up into an elegant bun, and she was wearing a short dark red dress with a leather jacket over it.

Nodding his head in acknowledgement, Mello gestured for her to come in. "I'll just be one moment. I need to grab my wallet and jacket." Stepping in the parlor like room, Naomi gazed around, taking in the expensive décor. "All right, let's go."

As the Indian restaurant wasn't even a block away and it was actually quite warm out, Mello and Naomi decided to walk there. "-and so then I said to her 'Let me tell you, you are so fired if a single word of this is leaked.' Of course then she behaved, but there was this one time-" Naomi's voice faded in and out as Mello half-listened. _I shouldn't be thinking of Near when I'm on a date with someone else. I thought I was over him. I broke up with him. C'mon Mello remember he was just a stepping stone to achieve fame, and you never really liked him. _But all he could think about was what Near would have been doing if he was on the date with him, and what Near would be saying if he were here.

"Look we are here!" Naomi opened the door to the cozy red painted Indian restaurant and waved Mello in.

* * *

Matt walked around the tour bus nodding approvingly. With a final glance at the TV, he spun around and gave a thumbs up to Halle. "Brilliant! I can plug my DS charger in here, and the Playstation can go here. Oh my Joshua, the Xbox will fit there too!"

Near looked up from his blank puzzle with an equally blank look on his face. "I am glad Matt finds it satisfactory." Upending the puzzle over a see-through table, he stood up and shuffled off to his sectioned off room.

Matt stared at L and Halle. "Okay, so what's eating him?" Flopping down on the seat Near just vacated, he pulled a PSP from his jeans pocket.

Halle remained standing near the doorway leading to the kitchen. Her fingers beat a nervous pattern on the door frame. "We think he might have caught the tail end of a television show about Mello and his debut album." L nodded in agreement, then also left, taking a phone out of his pocket as he walked in the opposite direction of Near.

Pulling his orange goggles down with one hand, Matt remained focused on his PSP. "Or maybe he just heard about Mello and Naomi's date." Glancing up at Halle's shocked face, he smirked. "Did I forget to tell you about that?"

* * *

Light sat at his desk, bored out of his mind. _Right now I could really go for an oatmeal raisin cookie. _He mused. _L likes those. _Shaking his head, Light tried to focus on the sheet containing the new lyrics from Mello. He had noticed himself thinking more and more of L and looking forward to even the briefest conversation with him.

With that thought, Light groaned and spun away from his desk. He wasn't stupid, or one to ignore his feelings. _Oh my damn. I like L. _

* * *

A/N: Ta-da! Thank you so much for putting up with me! I cannot express my gratitude, really. My reviewers, you guys made it possible for me to get through a rough time. Thanks a million!


	7. Surprise Visitor

I really have nothing to say here, so chapter away!

Disclaimer: Still no.

* * *

"Naomi I had fun, but I just really didn't... No. Naomi, maybe I'm just not ready to... Argh!" Mello paced back and forth in his mostly monochromatic bedroom. Black was predominate, with silver, grey, red and white making appearances occasionally.

Throwing himself dramatically on his bed, Mello buried his head in his pillows and sighed loudly. His date with Naomi had actually gone quite well. The conversation flowed very well at the Indian restaurant and they had found out things they had in common, like their love of spicy food. But everything made Mello think of Near. Just being in the restaurant brought back memories of dates with Near there. How he would wrinkle his nose when the menu came because he couldn't read the fancy lettering. How he always let Mello order for him. How even though he hated spicy foods, he knew Mello loved them, so he let Mello get the spiciest items on the menu.

Then came the movie. Naomi had mentioned wanting to see Self Destruct, the movie they had both attended the premier of. Technically, the movie had been shown there, but honestly neither one of them remembered much of that night. Anyway, they had went to a movie theater fairly close to the restaurant. (_'Near and I saw his first R-rated movie together here. He was fine, but I had to leave in the middle.'_ Mello's mind whispered viciously.) Being the singer he was, Mello almost instantly noticed the beautiful songs featured predominantly through out the movie.

"Hold on just a moment. I want to see who did the soundtrack for this." Naomi nodded and sat back down, grasping Mello's hand as she did so. Subconsciously, Mello tried to wiggle his hand out of her hold. It felt... wrong to hold her hand. It was much too tan and the nails were painted.

Finally, the music credits rolled onto to the large screen. 'All music done exclusively for Self Destruct by award winning singer, Near.' Mello could feel Naomi's piercing glances as he sat there in a state of numb shock. But it also felt like a break-through. _'I don't hate Near. I'm glad he has this success. Oh man... Do not tell me... Okay, there is no way- I would still never consider getting back together with him.' _Mello reassured himself.

Then why was he sitting here, trying to figure out exactly how to tell Naomi he didn't want to go on another date with her?

* * *

"Then I was like 'Well my Pikachu is over level 100! And then I crushed him." Matt said animatedly, waving his hands in the air before making a fist and driving it into his palm. Having Matt on the tour was actually quite nice, Near decided. He was entertaining and kept his mind off of Mello.

Mello. The name Near couldn't get out of his head. Maybe it was an obsession, he mused. At the very least it was masochistic. Mello was the one who caused him so much pain. _'But I know, if he came here right now and asked for me back, I doubt I could say no.'_ It wasn't like the actual time he spent with Mello was the part that hurt. In fact, those six months were almost, as sickeningly cliché as this is, magical.

"Near!" Blinking furiously, Near looked up to meet Matt's curious gaze. "What's going on? You kinda spaced there."

Near smiled his peculiar little half smile. "I'm good Matt. Just thinking of Mello."

"Oh. Good thoughts or angry thoughts?" Matt asked, comically making exaggerated faces.

Near paused for a moment. "Good ones I think." Grasping the tub of Tonka toys on his lap a little tighter, he stood up and shuffled off.

Matt sat there, looking around before he grabbed his phone out of his pocket and frantically dialed.

* * *

"Thank you New Jersey! I had an amazing time and will defiantly come back on my next tour." Waving once more to the roaring crowd, Near turned and walked off the stage. He looked better than he had in weeks. The white oxford shirt and white jeans that he was wearing seemed to make his equally pale skin glow.

Halle hurried around, frantically handing Near a steel water bottle while trying to get the attention of about twelve stagehands. "Great show Near! You were just like Klavier out there!" Matt said enthusiastically. Near looked confused, not quite sure if looking like Klavier was good or bad. "Anyway, L's out on the bus. Calling Light or something. I think when we are in New York City we're stopping by his office."

Near nodded and began to walk towards the tour bus. His eyes widening comically, Matt grabbed his arm. "Whoa there buddy! Let's not leave yet. Chill, meet some of your fans, you know concert stuff." Allowing himself to dragged to the area where some of his many fans were waiting, Near remained quiet.

_'Why will Matt not let me leave? Just L is on the bus correct? There should be no issue. Perhaps L is discussing delicate things with Light. I best not interrupt.' _

* * *

"Did you send him here you conniving, manipulative jerk face?!" L whispered heatedly into his phone. He was currently pacing the floor of the small pale blue bathroom in the tour bus.

_"Excuse me? Did I send who where? In case you didn't know L, I have better things to do then play guessing games with you." _Okay, they weren't actually all that much better. But still, Light felt that obsessively Googling L was at least slightly more important.

L sent a scorching glare at the innocent sink. Perhaps he was imagining Light in it's place. "Mello. Did you send Mello here to purposely throw Near off his game? Or maybe to cause some big scene, thus attracting more publicity for him? There's a 64.2% chance it was you Light."

Light's sigh whistled through the phone. _"Ah, L. Math has failed you this time, As much as I wish I could take credit for this one, alas I cannot. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?" _

L could feel his brief rage drain from his body. Now that his mind was clear, he could actually see several ways in which Mello's unexpected drop-in could be beneficial. "I apologize Light. I was not thinking clearly. On the subject of other matters, the next stop on Near's tour is in New York. I know you have that big conference at the same time, also in New York. Would you like to meet up sometime?"

_"Yes, that would be fine. I will contact you later to talk more about getting together, but right now I have to go." _Light pressed the glowing red hang-up button with one manicured fingertip. A uncharacteristically wide smile stole across his face. "Score!"

* * *

Mello sat lazily on one of the booths, contrasting perfectly against the white backdrop. He was studying his nails when L came out of the bathroom. L shuffled over to the booth across from Mello and perched on it's edge. He sat there in silence and stared at Mello. Neither one said a word for about ten minutes.

Mello was the first to crack. "Hello L. Haven't seen you in a while." he said weakly. When L still said nothing, he dropped his eyes to the glass coffee table and shifted so he was seated more upright. Crossing his arms loosely, Mello combed his mind for something to fill the gaping chasm of silence.

"Mello. I know what you are here for. Don't screw up." And with that L stood up and walked out, making sure to grab the bag of M&M's from on top of Matt's stack of games.

* * *

"Matt, please let me retire to the bus. I am exhausted. Besides, don't you want to play some Uncharted?" Near pleaded, attempting to bribe Matt.

Glancing at his shiny chrome watch, Matt pulled his orange goggles down onto his eyes. "Okay, okay let's go." Turning back to face the crowd of fans, he raised his arms in a parting gesture. "Fair well, friends! Near must be off, but rest assured we love every single one of you. Have a wonderful night!" With a flourish, he bowed before grabbing Near's arm yet again.

They walked in companionable silence across the parking lot. "Oh shoot, I forgot my vest in your dressing room. You go ahead Near. I'll be right back." Before Near could say that Matt hadn't been wearing a vest, he was gone. With a shrug, he unlocked the bus and began to climb aboard.

* * *

A/N: Yay! Another chapter down. I must say I am surprised that no one made any 'Objection!' jokes in their reviews of chapter six. Oh well! Thank you for reading! Reviews are, as always. appreciated.


	8. Heart to Heart

Oh my gosh, a new chapter!

Disclaimer: Of the many fabulous things under my ownership, Death Note is not one of them.

* * *

Quickly taking the steps up to the bus two at a time, Near yawned widely. Concerts always took a lot out of him, especially when they went into ungodly hours of the night like this one did.

Nothing but a long nights worth of sleep was on his mind as Near entered the almost living room like section of the tour bus. It was there that his whole world seemed to stop, completely halting on it's axis.

Everything seemed to fade away except for the black-clad form of Mello. He was draped casually on one of the plush white velvet chairs. They had originally been upholstered in a creamy leather, but then the leather just reminded Near of Mello, so they were redone.

Every golden strand of hair on his hair gleamed and a look of patient waiting was predominate on his handsomely scared face. _'I'm not sure I have ever been more afraid.' _was Near's fleeting thought right before Mello caught sight of him.

"Near." The single word came out as almost a sigh, breathless and quiet. Mello stood up hastily and took several steps, stopping just short of Near. "Oh... I've- I've missed you."

"Mello, I have missed you as well. However, I shall remind you, that it was not I who broke us up. That was all you." Near's expression was guarded. Every single one of his emotional walls was up and as strong as ever.

A sharp pang shot through Mello. _'That's my fault. I really hurt him, more than I thought. No backing out now Mello.' _He reached out an arm to Near's elbow, feeling just how bony it was through the thin oxford shirt. "Let's sit down. We need to talk."

Near allowed himself to be led to the chair opposite the one Mello had been seated in earlier. They both sat, Near remaining slightly wary and on edge. "Now, I guess I'll start." Mello swallowed, suddenly aware of just how dry his throat was and Near's piercing stare.

"You're right. I was the one who broke up with you. But, I've been thinking. The reason I broke up with you was for publicity. I wanted to be a big singer, as famous as you Near. I made a plan, a stupid one, to get anyone famous to date me, then I would dump them and people would finally notice me. I didn't expect it to be you Near. I told myself, so what if he's practically your god? You made a plan, now stick with it. I kept delaying it more and more though. I really didn't want to break up with you."

"But you did." Near said accusingly. He had pulled one of his knees up and found himself wishing for a puzzle.

"Yes, I did. And I can't tell you how much I regret it." Mello's voice grew quiet and he seemed vulnerable, like he was preparing to show Near a side of him unseen by anyone else. "The month we have been broken up, these last two weeks I haven't been able to stop thinking of you. The first two weeks I tried to convince myself it was the right thing to do, but eventually I just gave up. I'm not sure how to say this." He smiled wryly. "Usually, it's someone else begging me to get back together with them. See what you do to me? Oh God, Near please," his voice cracked "Can we please try this again?"

* * *

"I can't see! Move your fat head L!" Halle whispered. Her, Matt and L were all standing in the darkness just outside of the tour bus, staring into a certain room. The night hid them mostly from view, only if Mello or Near decided to stare for a long period of time out of the window would they be seen. "I must say Matt even if I didn't agree with you it was a good idea."

"Matt, you called Mello here?" L asked. He sounded blasé, but was internally fuming. Of course it was Matt who had summoned Mello here. Now he felt stupid for blaming Light.

Matt flashed a smile visible even in the near pitch black. "Yep, that was all me! Near made this comment on how he was thinking of Mello positively, I made a call, did a little persuading, and bam! Now shush, Near's gonna respond."

* * *

The silence that had filled the tour bus ever since Mello's final utterance was deafening. Finally, Near opened his mouth. Then closed it again. He closed his eyes briefly. "Mello... I too would like to 'try this again' as you say. But I need to say this. I honestly do not trust you entirely any more. I'm probably going to take a while to open myself back up to you. This is okay right?" He looked suddenly panicked, as if saying this would suddenly make Mello not want to get back together.

"I don't know Near... If you can't trust me..." Glancing at Near's face, Mello was able to detect, only through lots of practice, that he was on the verge of crying. "Oh God, I'm sorry! I was kidding. Of course it's all right. It's more than all right. I totally understand. I didn't expect you to even forgive me."

Near blinked then smiled his trademark half smile that made millions of his teen fans melt. He stood up and shuffled over to the chair that Mello was seated in. "Could I sit with you?" he asked shyly, twirling a lock of his snowy hair around a finger.

Mello said nothing, only pulled Near down on his lap. Near curled up and laid his head against Mello's chest.

* * *

"Awww! That was so cute!" Halle squealed. The group had moved away from the window and now sat in a dressing room in the deserted concert arena. L had a stack of gingersnaps, Matt had pulled out his DS like an addict desperately awaiting a fix and Halle just sat there starry eyed. "I hope someday something that romantic will happen to me!"

"Hey don't look at me lady. My heart belongs to Samus Aran." Halle glanced over to L. He was currently building an elaborate palace-like structure with his cookies. "Don't look over there either. Haven't you heard him talk about Light?"

L heard Matt, he just chose to ignore him until he felt Halle's questioning gaze. "We may be meeting up when we go to New York City. However, we are not in a relationship or anything of the sort."

Matt hit the pause button and pulled up his tinted goggles. "You'd like to be though wouldn't you L?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows madly.

Halle had to stifle her giggles. His eyebrows looked very much like caterpillars having seizures. L was not nearly as amused.

"I think your career as a matchmaker is over Matt. I may or may not have romantic feelings for Light, but these are entirely my business. Anyway, as you can't even get a date, there is a 83% chance that you have no idea what you are talking about."

Matt sat back. "It sounds like you don't believe I could actually know something about relationships."

"Is that what you're hearing? Good, cause that is what I think." L replied. Maybe he was over tired, maybe it was the stress, but L was finally fired up enough that he was willing to fight with just bout any body.

"Okay, that sounds like a challenge to me. I bet you I know more about relationships than you do. In fact, I bet you one hundred dollars that I could set you and Light up."

"Bring it on. But you know, because I know about this it's not going to be easy." L warned. Matt nodded, then stuck out his hand for L to shake. They both squeezed each others hand, then stood up and walked out, leaving Halle sitting all alone in the humongous dressing room.

"Am I surround by gay men?" she said aloud, dropping her head into her hands.

* * *

A/N: I wrote this entire chapter while listening to Madonna. What's you're favorite Madonna song? Reviews are most excellent.


	9. I Love Hippos!

Ah, Spring has finally sprung! Yay!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

_It's actually vaguely repulsive. Yes, sure it's cute, as Halle is constantly whispering, but still, it's kind of gross too_, Matt thought.

The sight Matt was referring to was the one of Near and Mello, sitting together on the bus floor, Near in-between Mello's legs, playing Transformers together. It was sickly sweet, as their behavior had been for the whole drive up to New York.

_Talk about a honeymoon period! _Matt observed. _I almost miss the maniacal, gun-waving Mello. Not so much the constantly depressed Near though. _

In the two weeks Matt had been on the bus with Near, they had formed a strong friendship. Near never really had friends his own age, as he was constantly moving around when he was younger, and later became a star. His closest acquaintances were all at least eight years older than him. Matt always had problems making friends, mostly because he was too involved in his fantasy worlds to bother with the real one.

Maybe that was why they got along so well. Near didn't mind Matt escaping into the unreal, as he was just as content diving into his own games. None the less, they had become close quite fast. That was part of the reason Matt had worked so hard to get Mello and Near together again. To see his two closest friends happy again.

_Speaking of getting together, I gotta work on my L and Light plan of action. Of course, L already knows I'm trying to set them up, so any sort of surprise won't work. But maybe, if I can find out how Light feels... _Matt sat, contemplating, his mind whirling deviously.

"Light Yagami's office, how may I help you?" Light said, spinning around in his chair to face the window behind his desk. His secretary had just put this call through, saying it was urgent. _It better be pretty damn important. I'm supposed to be on a plane in two hours. _

"Light! So glad to have caught you. It's me, Matt." His happy smile could be sensed over the phone.

Light frowned. "Why are you calling?" he said, sighing. "I have to leave for New York in two hours, and the route to the airport is always so backed up."

"Don't worry, I'll make this fast." A long pause. _Way to make it fast._ Just when Light was about to hang up in frustration, Matt blurted it out. "Do you like L?"

Light froze. He blinked rapidly, astonished. "Wha- Who told you that? Where are they?" One corner of Light's mind (the one he mostly ignored) began to mutter evilly about revenge, and how death was too good for the traitor. Who ever it was.

Amazingly enough, Matt began to snicker. Then full-blown laughter echoed through the phone. "No one told me, except for you right now! Way to be obvious dude!"

Feeling suddenly drained, Light slumped back into his chair. "Is that all Matt? Do you need any more information to completely humiliate me?"

"Nope, this should be enough! Bye!" Well this sucked.

"Quite frankly, your humming disturbs me. You are 49% too happy today." L was sitting on one off the white kitchen stools, legs drawn up in their usual position. A steaming mug of coffee sat in front of him, along with an opened box of animal crackers. Mello had just strolled in, a smile on his face.

"Hello L. I'm just here for some chocolate." He slid around the kitchen island, and reached a hand into the top shelf. After a minute of groping randomly, he pulled out a large chocolate bar. Turning around, he pulled the wrapper down and leaned against the counter.

"So how are you?" Mello asked. L looked up from biting the head off a hippo and just stared at Mello.

"I'm fine..." L said suspiciously. He glanced at Mello out of the corner of his eye, then looked back down at the marble tabletop.

With an exasperated sigh, Mello sat down across from L, still chomping on his chocolate. "Look, I know you don't like me. Or trust me or what ever. And truly, I want to get along with you, because you're important to Near, but honestly? He can take care of himself, okay? He doesn't need you being his protector."

L's head whipped up and he looked directly in Mello's eyes. "Did you ever think that maybe I need to protect him? You didn't see him after _you _crushed him. He was a wreck. He may trust you, but by no means do I. There's no way I am letting you hurt him again. If you do, I will destroy you."

With that, L grabbed his animal crackers and slouched off into the living room.

Near was laying on his back in his pure white bed, holding his finger puppets above his head. All of a sudden, Mello entered with a bang.

Sitting up quickly, eyes slightly widened, Near laid a hand over his heart. "You startled me Mello." He said quietly, slowly lowering his hand.

Sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, Mello crossed the room and perched on the far edge of Near's bed. "I was wondering if maybe while we're in New York you would like to go out?"

A faint blush colored Near's cheeks. "Like on a date?"

"Yeah. We're spending kind of a while there, because Matt has that gaming convention and L and Light are meeting up or something." Mello said.

Pulling his finger puppets off one by one and lining them up, Near took a moment to consider. "That sounds nice. What would we do there though?"

Mello pulled a brightly colored brochure out of the back pocket in his tight leather pants. "I thought we could look at this and kind of brainstorm together. Some stuff sounds pretty fun." Scooting closer to Near, Mello opened up to the first page of the brochure.

"All systems are a go then? Okay, thanks Maya. Bye." With a beep, Matt hung up on Light's secretary. Shoving the futuristic cell phone back into his pocket, Matt strolled over to the open window. They were currently stopped at a rest stop along Route 87 for everyone to stretch their legs.

L was walking in a circle slowly, seemingly calculating something. _Probably the circle's diameter, _Matt thought laughingly. Halle was stretching in a pool of sunlight, with Rester and Gevanni no where to be seen. Mello and Near had walked up to the store where they sold little trinkets. Matt smirked. _Everything is going exactly as planned. _

"I'm bored." L whined. His cake had run out an hour ago and everyone was too busy to talk. Standing up from the kitchen table, he shuffled through the living room into the driving area. Standing over Rester, he peered out the wide windshield. "So, what's going on?"

Rester jumped in surprise. "L! Oh, nothing really. We just have to take the next exit, keep driving for about five miles, and then we'll be at the hotel."

L nodded, moving his thumb up to his mouth. "...And we're doing fine on fuel?"

Rester nodded as well, keeping his eyes trained on the dark road. "Mm-hm." All of a sudden a sputtering sound came from right underneath L and Rester. where the engine of the bus was located. Rester's eyes grew wide as slowly, the bus stopped moving entirely. With a hissing sound, a plume of black smoke began to rise on both sides of the front of the bus.

Sitting back, Rester took his hands off the wheel. "We just broke down." _Thank you Captain Obvious! _L thought, rolling his eyes. Swiftly unbuckling his seatbelt, Rester made to open the doors, then paused. "I'm going to go out and check out the problem. You go and let everyone else know." Not waiting for an answer, he opened up the doors and disappeared into the night.

Sighing, L began to head to the back of the bus. This was not a task he was going to relish.

A/N: My longest chapter ever! I'm so proud of myself! Thanks for reading, and, as always, reviews are the best!


	10. Heartbreak Hotel

A/N: Hey! I really have nothing to say here so... I've been lazy with this chapter.

Disclaimer: Yeah, I still own nothing.

"New York, NEW YORK!" Matt sang loudly. Everyone else sat sullenly on one of the various chairs in the living room area, having been dragged from their beds with the fabulous news that the bus had broken down.

Grumpily using one hand to rub his eyes, Mello pulled a gun from his black pajama bottom's waistband. Aiming at Matt's head, he spoke through gritted teeth. "If you don't shut the hell up, I will shoot."

Matt quickly sat down on the remaining white armchair, and began to jiggle his foot impatiently. However, he did remain silent.

Allowing a slight smirk to cross his face, Mello placed the gun back in his pants. Shifting slightly in his chair, he turned to look at Rester, who had just come in from checking out the bus. "So, what's going on? Are we stuck here? Because, I mean, the concert's in..." He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "seven hours."

Rester sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I called a tow truck. Something's wrong with the engine. I also called a taxi service and their sending over two cars for you guys. I'll be staying with the bus." Speak of the devil, two taxis roared up to the side of the bus, their blazing headlights cutting through the night.

Matt sprang up, all his energy returned. "I call L and Halle! Race you!" And with this, he bounded out of the bus, running wildly to the taxis.

"Well, it sounds like L and I are going with Matt. Gevanni, why don't you stay here with Rester?" Gevanni looked briefly from his computer screen and nodded. "Okay, great. Near, Mello, you know the hotel address right?"

Rolling his eyes, Mello replied. "Yes Halle. You've only told me about ten times." Leaning over Near's sleepy form, Mello gently shook his shoulder. Near didn't respond; he just turned over and snuggled deeper into the soft cushions. Rather than wake him up, Mello carefully lifted him up bridal style and began to carry him to the farther taxi.

It was a scene right out of a movie. Near's small, white body being cradled softly against Mello's black clad chest. Adjusting his arms briefly, Mello popped open the door and placed Near inside. Going around to the other side, he paused to wave and then also disappeared inside. Their taxi took off into the night seconds later.

Halle glanced over at L's slumped over form before starting to briskly walk off the bus. "Come on L!" she shouted over her shoulder.

-Next Morning-

"Gooood Morning!" Matt said joyously, throwing open the door that connected Mello and Near's room to the kitchen area of the hotel suite. He walked over to the windows and pushed them open, then began to lean dangerously out, taking deep breaths of air. "Mm, smell that car exhaust! So invigorating. Nothing like a drive-by shooting to start the day, eh?"

Mello made a sleepy groan and merely rolled over, yanking the covers off Near in the process. However, he didn't mind as he was already sitting up, rubbing a miniscule bit of sleep from his eye. "Good Morning to you as well Matt. Do you know what the itinerary for today is?"

Sticking his head back into the whitewashed room, Matt struck a thoughtful pose. "Well, today marks the beginning of Video Game Con NY 2010!" A quick switch into a triumphant, hero-like pose. "So I will be going to that, of course. Halle's dragging Gevanni and Rester on some tourist trap tour thing. L... I have no idea. As for you, Near m'boy, Mello's got some plans. And now, I must be off to go finish my Beat cosplay. Bye now!" He exited the room with a dramatic roll.

"Near?" Mello's sleepy head poked up from underneath a pillow. "Is the idiot gone yet?"

Near's petite, pale hand was clasped in Mello's rough, tan one. The conjoined hands were swinging slowly as they strolled through the hotel's vast navy and cream lobby. They were talking in low voices, heads bent near each other. Suddenly, lights began flashing frantically, almost as if a small lightening storm was centered around them.

"Near, look over here!"

"Mello, give me a smile!"

Around ten photographers and eight journalists had been lying in wait at the hotel's entrance. As soon as Mello and Near had exited, they pounced.

A large microphone was shoved in Near's face by a short bossy-looking women with flyaway red hair. "Does this," she said, waving to their hands "mean you are back together?" After a nervous glance up at Mello, who was stoically standing next to him, Near gave a small reluctant nod. The women's pushy expression broke into a smile. "Oh, you forgave him, even though that whole thing with Naomi happened, and not long ago too?"

Near's small smile stayed transfixed on his face, and only if you knew him very, very well would you know that it was forced. He quickly swiped his lips with his tongue, and opened his mouth to speak. "No comment." And with that, as fast as they had come, Near began to pull Mello back into the hotel.

Two thoughts rang simultaneously through Mello's head. _Damn, I never knew Near was this strong _and _Oh shit, I'm screwed. _

As soon as they were in the elevator, Near dropped Mello's hand like it was on fire. He stared straight ahead, not one hint of emotion showing on his face. Hesitantly, Mello tried to place an arm around Near's shoulders. He shrugged it off and snapped his head around to glare venomously at Mello.

"Don't touch me." His voice was still dangerously soft and calm, as if they were discussing the weather or the price of cucumbers. "Do not touch me right now. In fact, don't come near me." He began to shake his head slowly. "I can't even stand to look at you."

"But Near-" Mello tried to interject, his voice pleading, eyes big and round.

"No." Near snapped, his voice rising a decibel level. "There are no buts Mello. Were you planning to tell me what happened with Naomi? Are you planning to tell me now? I think you had better."

Mello seemed to deflate. _This has got to be the longest elevator ride ever. _Almost as if Mello had willed it, the doors opened with a cheery ding. Near stalked towards the door of the suite and ran the card through the scanner. The door opened with a soft click, and again, Near stalked towards the closest chair, pulling up his leg to his preferred sitting position. He starred blankly at Mello until he had settled in a similar looking black chair.

Clearing his throat, Mello looked away from Near's penetrating eyes. "The thing with Naomi...was a mistake. After I saw you at that red carpet premier, I got really drunk at the after party, with Naomi as my date. We went as friends, but we were both intoxicated, and well, we ended up going," he paused as if not willing to say. Near's look forced him to. "All the way. When we woke up the next morning, she was all 'I like you, let's try going out.' And I was like 'Sure, I like you too.' But I really didn't. We went out once, and I couldn't stop thinking of you Near!" Mello's voice took on a desperate sound. "I'm sorry, okay. God, please don't, please don't-" His voice began to falter.

Near's steely-eyed gaze grew no warmer by the end of Mello's sorry tale. "I'm sorry too, Mello. But sorry doesn't cut it. We had been broken up for like a week or two then. You just jumped to the next star. This is all probably some part of a plan you have. Planning to break up with me again, huh? Well, that's not going to happen. We are beyond through."

With that final, chilling proclamation, Near stood up and swept into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. The sound echoed in the nearly empty suite.

Mello sat, still as stone, letting the true magnitude of the situation sink in. He took a deep shuddering breath and blinked, confused. He was crying, again. _Near, I've cried twice because of you. No one else has ever made me cry once._

While Mello was preoccupied, L slunk into the room. Grabbing a room card, he opened the door and stepped out. "I told you I needed to protect Near. I knew you were only going to break his heart." The door shut with a definite, loud slam.

A/N: Whew, that was a pain to get through. Writer's block, y'know? Anyway, it's here, enjoy! Reviews do prod me on!


	11. Help From Rhinestones

A/N: I feel like every time I write a chapter, it starts off with an apology. Not breaking that streak, I'm sorry! I had state testing and have been studying for my SAT's. This chapter has sat unfinished for a while. Again, I'm very sorry.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

~Two months later~

The bright California sun streamed through three humongous windows that stretched from a pure white ceiling to a creamy tiled floor. They made up one of four walls in the spacious living room of Near's house. All of the other walls were plain and undecorated, except for a large framed photo of L, Near, Halle, Rester, Gevanni and Matt.

A large alabaster sectional couch dominated the center of the room. Small pops of color in the form of toys were scattered here and there. Sprawled on top of the couch was Near.

_Ding Dong _

As the doorbell continued to resound through the house, Near dragged himself up, groaning quietly. Shuffling quickly over the slippery tile, he pulled his sleeves up in preparation to open the door.

The imposing bone white door had stained glass panels running down the sides and a silver handle on both sides. As Near pulled the door open, he took a startled step back and then immediately fell into a defensive pose. Standing on the other side, a manicured garden and winding driveway behind her, was Naomi.

She was wearing a pink Bedazzled belly top, ill-fitting tan shorts and a towering pair of neon pink heels. From her heavily made up face, it was clear she was fresh off a movie set. "Hello Near. Could I come in?"

_*Flash back* _

"You are such a moron! You couldn't have told that to Near before you got together? Oh no, Mello has to keep important things a secret--" Matt ranted, turning slightly red from lack of air.

Mello through up his hands. "You told me not to! And how was I to know how much of a big deal it was? I thought- I thought that we were starting over. A fresh slate."

Matt sighed, settling back onto the kitchen counter he was seated on. "Mello, Mello, Mello." He said, slowly shaking his head. "It is never a 'fresh slate'. Face it, you've done some things you're not proud of, and so has everyone. Now we need to focus on you getting Near back." _Again._ he added mentally.

Mello visibly perked up. "Okay! I've got a few ideas..." He trailed off, pulling a list out of his back pocket and unfolding it. It was about two feet long.

_Oh, this is going to be fun. _Matt thought sarcastically.

_*End flash back* _

Naomi was perched awkwardly on one end of the sectional couch. Near was sitting, one leg up and one leg down, on the other. In his hands were a large toy robot, whose head he was twisting _very_ alarmingly. Naomi gulped and pushed some of her long ebony hair behind one of her ears.

"Um, I just thought I should clear some stuff up for you, because Raye told me that you and Mello got together again and then broke up. I hope it wasn't my fault." Clearly waiting for a response from Near, she paused here. After about a minute of silence, she gave a small cough then resumed talking.

"Mello probably told you we were drunk and so forth, but I don't think he really remembered what happened."

*_Flash back* _

With a loud click, Mello's door swung open, and he and Naomi walked in, giggling. Their gait was unsteady and they ended up falling to the ground. Laughing, Naomi rolled over and landed a kiss, while not directly on Mello's lips, was pretty close to them. He shoved her off and began to back away, fairly unsuccessfully, as he was still on the ground.

"Noo Nao'i. I don't like you. We're friends remember?" His voice, while slightly slurred, was still fairly discernible. Naomi sat up and pouted.

"Is this 'cause of Near?" She was probably less drunk than Mello, mainly because she didn't really enjoy alcohol, so she had only drunken a small amount.

By this time, Mello was also sitting up, leaning against one of the walls. "Yeah." He said, sniffling softly. Not many knew, but Mello was definitely an emotional drunk. "I loves him soooooo much. But he just- he just-" And with this fascinating sentence, Mello burst into tears.

"Okay, it's alright." Naomi crawled over to Mello and rubbed his back soothingly. "Let's get you into some pajamas."

_*End flash back* _

"And then when we woke up, he kind of just assumed. I didn't correct him, I just persuaded him to go out with me. I think he felt bad, so he agreed." Naomi twisted her hands around in her lap and looked nervously up at Near.

Sometime around Mello refusing to kiss Naomi, Near had dropped his robot and began to hug his knee tightly. "He's not paying you to tell me this right?" His face was closed, and he seemed to be bracing himself for bad news.

Naomi shook her head, hair flying everywhere. "He doesn't even know I'm here." A small smile stole over Near's face and he stood up. Dragging his feet along the floor, Near stuck a chalky hand in front of Naomi's face. Slightly surprised, she shook it, before getting up and walking to the door.

With one foot outside, she quickly turned around. "Good luck!" And with a final wave of her tanned hand, Naomi disappeared.

"L. L. L!" Light was standing angrily in the doorframe of a soothing blue room. Seated in the middle of it, print-outs and various sweets surrounding him, was L. Glancing up with his big black eyes, L swept over Light's fancy suit and well-groomed hair before glancing right back down.

"L, you promised we would meet up some time after New York. I fly all the way to California, using my now very low frequent flier miles, and this is the thanks I get?" Light had entered the semi-pissed zone, which involved lots of hair-flipping and biting remarks made in slightly raised tones.

L rose from his crouching position and carefully picked his way over to Light. "If you want to go out with me, all you had to do was ask." Light began to sputter and turn a rather alarming shade of red. "I'll meet you here at three o'clock this afternoon. Wear something...casual." With this, L shuffled out of the room.

"Now boarding flight nine hundred and four." A cool female voice rang out over the bustling airport terminal.

Matt gave a happy dance that was scarily reminiscent of Elaine's dance from Seinfeld. "That's us Mello! Oh, I am so excited. This plan is defiantly going to work! So what, we failed eight other times. I've got a _feeling _this time."

As Matt continued to chatter away, Mello shifted anxiously. He was wearing his lucky leather pants, the one's he had met Near in, his rosary was resting comfortably against his chest and his gun was polished to a shine. Everything was going great. However, his previous failures haunted him.

Seemingly sensing his nervousness, Matt lay a reassuring hand on Mello's arm. "Don't worry man. This is going to go off without a hitch. Come on, you've got a CD that's currently rocketing it's way up the charts and you're about to go get back Near. Nothing to stress about."

Taking a deep breath, Mello nodded. He pulled his ticket out of his pocket and handed it to a male flight check-in. With Matt right behind, Mello boarded the plane to California. To Near.

A/N: Whew! I think this story will be wrapping up in the next chapter or two. Already thinking about my next story, I have a question. Would any of you be interested in reading a Kingdom Hearts/ The World Ends With You crossover? It would be kind of like Survivor. Not quite sure on the details yet. Anyway, let me know! Reviews are awesome.


	12. Cake and Forgiveness

A/N: This may be the last chapter. After this only an epilogue. So get your reviews in! :)

Pulling a dark pair of sunglasses over his bight blue eyes, Mello stepped out under the warm California sun. Raising a hand out to his side, he stood slouching, impatiently waiting for a taxi to pull up.

"Ohmigod, it's Mello!" A teenaged girl with shoulder length brown hair stood pointing dramatically at Mello. He internally sighed and stuck his hand out again, rather urgently this time. Mello could see a white taxi rounding the bend of the winding airport terminal's road.

However, it was just a tad too slow for Mello to escape the fan-girl's grasp. "Hi. I was wondering if you could sign this for me?" She smiled slightly bashfully and stuck out a notebook, a pen soon following.

Reluctantly, Mello nodded and took the notebook and pen. "Okay, make it out to Alicia." After a momentary pause she added a polite but wheedling "Please." Quickly dashing off a messy signature and confusing message, he slipped into the waiting taxi.

As it drove off, Alicia squinted at the writing. '_Hey Alicia. Don't give anything up. Fight for it, or you will regret it! Love, Mello'_ Oh well. The best celebrities were the crazy ones after all.

Closing his eyes, Mello breathed slowly in and then released it, equally as slow. His hands were twisted in his lap, and there was a strange feeling in his stomach. It was one he had only felt twice before.

The first time he had been going to visit his sickly Grandmother in the hospital. He had a sense that when he visited, it would be the last time he would see her alive. Sure enough, she had died the next day. The second time, it was just before he had just auditioned at Light's record label.

This time, Mello knew it was fear and anxiety all rolled together. Fear that Near would still reject him. Anxiety because he had decided that if this time didn't work, he would give up, and let Near finally move on.

And Mello desperately wanted it to work.

A loud chiming resonated through L's slightly cramped apartment. Standing up from where he was crouched over a stack of paperwork, L meandered over to the door, only speeding up slightly when the person on the other side pressed the doorbell again.

Lethargically, he raised a pale hand and shoved his dark hair out of his eyes before opening the door. There stood Light, dressed casually as he had been told, in a pair of jeans and a black shirt with a white violin graphic on it.

In his hands was light blue box. Gesturing for him to come, L gently shut the door behind Light and padded towards the kitchen. Confused, Light followed, his black sneakers echoing on the white tile floor.

Once in the kitchen, L sat down on one of the black bar stools in front of the large marble island and looked expectantly at Light. Still bewildered, Light remained standing, shifting the box awkwardly from hand to hand.

"Well, are you going to sit down or not? You are making this 64% more uncomfortable then it has to be." L stared pointedly at Light until he crossed the room and took the seat across from L.

When he placed the mysterious box on the table, L was finally able to get a better look at it. By all appearances, it was a box from Amaryllis Bakery, which was quite possibly L's favorite bakery. Glancing up at Light, L cocked his head with a slight grin. "Is this what I think it is? There's a 97% chance, make it 100%."

All of the uncomfortable tensions left the room almost immediately and Light laughed gently. "If you think this is my way of buttering you up, you are definitely correct." Spinning the box to face L, Light pulled the lid off in one clean sweep.

There sat a beautifully decorated cake, with pure white frosting and gorgeous blue swirls placed artfully on the surface. Lifting it out with one hand, Light moved the container out of the way with the other. With a flourish, he placed it back down.

"Strawberry shortcake. Your favorite, or at least that's what Near told me." Light suddenly looked anxious, like he was afraid L was actually allergic to strawberries or something.

Sticking a fingertip into one of curlicues of sapphire frosting, L shot a small smile across the table. Pulling it back out, he promptly placed the finger in his mouth and licked it off. Light flushed a delicate pink. L's smile became even wider. "This is delicious. You have to try it." Plunging his finger back into the frosting, he held it right in front of Light's mouth.

His eyes grew wide. Nervously shaking his head, he pursed his lips tightly. With a sudden lunge, L leaned over and smeared the frosting all over Light's lower face. With a slow smirk, Light licked his lips. "You're right. It _is_ good." And with that, he scooped up a glob of frosting and placed it neatly on L's nose.

"Oh, it's on."

_' Okay, don't pass out; that's always a nice start. Alright, now just reach up and push that doorbell. You got this!' _

Mello's internal pep talk was cut short (as was, mercifully, his fight to press the doorbell). A blank faced near opened the door, wallet and car keys in hand. "What is Mello doing here?"

_'And we're back to the 'usage of proper noun instead of pronoun stage' again. Oh goody.' _

Moistening his suddenly dry mouth, Mello opened his mouth. "Near, I promise, if you want me to leave you alone, I'll go, but hear me out this last time." Near's face was still impassive when Mello snuck a glance. taking this as a good sign, he pushed on.

"I'm sorry. I feel like a broken record but-" And that was all he could say, for after that his mouth was otherwise occupied. With Near's.

Pulling back, Near looked at Mello and whispered tenderly. "Gods, I've missed you."

Mello and Near were curled up together on the very same alabaster sectional couch that near had been moping on not two days ago. "So, I really should call Naomi and thank her, huh?"

Near raised his head slightly and adjusted his sitting position so he could look Mello straight in the eye. "Look. There's something else you should know too." The mood in room abruptly changed from light-hearted to somber in a blink of an eye. "Naomi, she told me you guys only kissed and you pushed her away. You didn't go anywhere with her. That's what really made me forgive you. You still loved me even when drunk and with a pretty girl."

Mello blinked rapidly, processing all the new information. He hadn't cheated on Near (even though they weren't together at that time anyway), and he was still a virgin. "Near... Oh God, you don't know how happy that makes me."

Snuggling back down to Mello's leather-clad chest, Near allowed himself a small smile. "I think I do."

"Yes! I knew it, I knew it! Did I call this or what?" Matt chanted happily into the phone, doing some sort of convoluted happy dance.

_"Yes, Matt well done. Anyway, I was calling to see if you wanted to fly down to California. It sounds like Mello's staying for a while, and Light's still hanging around." _Halle's voice was slightly fuzzy due to the connection, but was able to understand each and every word.

"Aw, Hallester, I would love to. You guys are paying right, because I'm kinda broke at the moment."

Halle's sigh echoed through the phone lines. _"All right, I suppose so." _Some typing and clicking could be heard on Halle's end. _"Okay, June fourth. I'll send you the ticket information." _

"Yay! Bye!"

"Oh my gosh, you two are just adorable!" Matt squealed whipping out his phone and beginning to take multiple photos from every conceivable angle. Mello merely squeezed Near's waist and drew him in a little closer.

"Hey, are you guys coming? L's waiting for us!" Light shouted from the driver's seat of a silver convertible.

"Ah, young love, so sweet, so...needy." Matt said with a swoon. Light jumped out of the car grinning and began to run for Matt. He was much more relaxed after he had started to date L exclusively.

Mello and Near shared a small smile and began to walk slowly to the car, The California sun in front of them, and the charming screams of Matt behind. Yes, life was quite nice these days.

A/N: I'm so sad! All that's left is the epilogue! Look out for that soon, and this time could more people review please? Last chapter, I got one. Seriously. Anyway, next chapter will bring this to a close and will also include some new story ideas. Oh, and amaryllis flowers mean radiant beauty. Until next time!


	13. I Adore a Wedding

A/N: It's the end! The epilogue! I'm so _sad!_ I would like to take this time to thank all of my reviewers, even if you only reviewed one chapter. Thank you! Without further ado, the epilogue of Sing Through The Pain!

I own nothing.

"This is Misa-Misa, and we are coming to you live from the reception of Near and Mello's wedding. Yes, the couple that had so many ups and downs tied the knot three years after their final reunion." Misa said cheerfully, grinning straight at the camera. She was standing in front of a large set of white doors, and bushes of lilacs could be seen peeking over the stone walls that the door connected to.

It was a beautiful clear day in early June. The sun was shining and raucous laughter gently filtered through to where Misa was standing.

"Okay, you ready? We have been given exclusive access for twenty minutes, so we got to be in and out. Let's go!" With a mighty shove, the doors were flung open.

"Ooh, it's gorgeous! Go on, show the viewers!" The camera scanned over a spacious garden, with thousands of flowers barely contained behind low stone barriers. The daffodils were next to white roses, which were near purple tulips and so forth. Misa clattered on the cobblestone path right up to the nearest table of guests, which just so happened to be Matt, Halle, L, Light, Rester and Gevanni.

"Hello! Mind answering a few questions? It won't take long." Misa promised. L looked bored, as did Light. Halle was tapping her feet to the music currently playing, and Rester and Gevanni were comparing their phones. Matt, having paused his DS was currently looking at the camera, waving and mouthing 'Hi Mom.'

Misa stood there, waiting rather impatiently for a moment before Matt was done. "Sure! I'll answer. But only for-" He glanced at his watch. "Two minutes. Then they're throwing the bouquet."

Misa smiled brightly. "That's all I need. Okay, how long have you known Near and Mello?"

Matt leaned back in his chair, slipping his trademark orange goggles down to block the sun. "Mello since I was like ten. Near... About four or five years I guess."

Misa nodded, her skull and ribbon hair ornaments bobbling dangerously. "So along time huh? How do you feel about them getting married?"

"Oh, it's pretty good. They're great for each other, and look really cute together." Matt lowered his tone to a secretive whisper and leaned in towards Misa. "I helped them get together you know."

Her eyes widened comically. _Finally, a scoop! _"Tell Misa Misa more!"

"Well-" All of a sudden a loud beeping began to emit from his watch. "Sorry, got to go. That means the bouquet toss is starting!"

Near stood nervously on a low stone step, a white flower covered archway above him. Not wearing his customary pajamas, he was decked out in a pair of light grey pants, a white oxford shirt with a pale blue vest over it and of course, socks. A small sprig of white bleeding hearts was pinned to the vest. In his hands, a bundle of bluebells, baby's breath and a single white rose was being toyed with anxiously.

Mello glided up the steps to take his place next to Near. He wrapped his arm around Near's waist, instantly calming him. However, Mello was not in his usual leather. He too, was wearing grey pants and a white shirt, but his vest was a bloody red. When asked why he was dressed so differently, he only smiled, tossed a loving look at Near, and said "Whatever makes him happy."

All this aside, it was time for the time-honored tradition of throwing the bouquet. Matt had elbowed his way to the front of the small crowd, which was only about fifty people all together. They had wanted a small, low-key wedding.

Near turned around slowly, and lifted his hands over his head. With a single toss, the flowers were high in the sky, then began to spin downwards. Matt reared back, but he missed them. Landing on the ground with a thump, he started to angrily curse gravity.

They were still going, passing over the heads of most of the crowd. And suddenly, a hand shot up and grabbed them. Everyone turned simultaneously, including Near, to see who the lucky one was.

There sat L, still at the table in his normal seating position, the bouquet placed neatly in front of him.

"Aw, you're going to get married!" Matt cried, suddenly on his feet.

"Wasn't that beautiful?" Misa said happily, once again outside the doors. "It just goes to show, even if you hit some rough patches, true love will prevail! This is Misa Misa, have a great night."

The camera shut off and Misa dropped her microphone, abruptly looking _much _less cheerful. "Why can't I find love? WHY?" Her cameraman traded a look with the women carrying the audio equipment, and they began to edge off, leaving Misa alone in front of the doors.

_"WHY?" _

A/N: Yes, it's short, but then again, it's only an epilogue. Thank you, all of you, for seeing this through the end. Now I have a question. What should I write next? Here are some ideas.

1- A sequel, focusing on L and Light.

2- An AU, in which Mello and Near are in high school. Near has to work lots of crappy jobs to stay in school (it's a expensive private school) and Mello's super rich. Maybe Mello's parents make him get a job for 'experience' and he ends up at one of Near's?

3- Some connected one-shots, not too sure on what though.

4- One-shot series involving sports; for example one where Mello and Near play hockey, one where they are at a baseball games, ect.

Those are really all I've got right now. You could drop a review giving an idea or telling me which one you'd like to read. I'll probably put a poll up once I've got more ideas. Anyway, it's been a fun ride. Thanks a million!


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